Most of us find it very difficult to slow down; sometimes it's comforting just to keep on with the rush of life to avoid stopping. And yet, as we know, people who never stop, eventually run out of steam and have to stop. Just slowing down or altering our routine can be wonderfully liberating and renewing.

Lent is one of these times. It lasts 40 days and goes back to the 40 days Jesus experienced in the wilderness before He began his main ministry. It was a difficult time for Him, of testing and of fasting, but He came out of it stronger and ready to begin his calling to be the Messiah.Many Christians mark this time, using it as an opportunity to change things in their life. It used to be a time to give up something - sweets or alcohol, say - and I've been interested to hear of people with no Christian faith who take advantage of this time to give something up. In recent years, though, the emphasis amongst Christians has been more on doing something positive rather than on giving things up: reading a religious book, taking a few minutes to pray at some time in the day, going for a walk each day. For a couple of years we had copies of "LoveLife, Live Lent" in the church, which encouraged us to mark Lent positively.We have tacked Lent on to Easter as a sort of prelude to Holy Week, which is quite a good place to have it in the year. And we have turned it into a focussing on Jesus and the Cross, which, after all, is the heart of our faith.

Let's use Lent this year, starting on Ash Wednesday, 5th March to do something different. It should strengthen us in our faith.